Cheney said Kerry would would raise taxes and put up barriers to trade if elected, and that his "pessimistic outlook" is reminiscent of the Carter administration, when the U.S. economy was crippled by high inflation and an oil embargo.

"Listen to his proposals between now and November, and you'll see a clear pattern," Cheney said.

"Every one of them would increase the power of Washington bureaucrats and increase the size of the government's claim on your paycheck. Americans have seen the mindset before -- in the days of malaise -- and we're not going back."

The speech echoed the Bush-Cheney campaign's recent television ads that blast Kerry as a pessimist in the face of an improving economy.

Cheney said Kerry "doesn't recognize the strengths of our economy, so it's hard to believe he'd know how to make it any stronger."

"As the American people have worked to overcome the challenges of terrorist attacks and recession, he's traveled the country telling workers and entrepreneurs how it reminds him of the Great Depression," Cheney said.

"He's even trotted out the old term 'misery index.' The problem is that by Senator Kerry's definition, things got better during the Carter years, and then got worse during the Reagan-Bush years."

By contrast, he said, President Bush's signature tax cuts have boosted the economy since the recession of 2001, resulting in increased hiring, more productive factories and record home ownership and growth rates.